Water intrusion into a home or other interior space is a known and common problem resulting in extensive damage to the affected property and financial burden on the owner of such property. The intrusion of water may result from a number of various causes including, for example, leaking or burst pipes, leaking roof panels, or blocked pipes causing backflow of water into the interior space. Because the causes of water intrusion may be so varied, there exist many different devices for in-home water intrusion detection.
One such device for water intrusion detection may be attached directly to an inlet water pipe for detecting an abnormal increase in the flow of water through the pipe. Such a device may comprise a probe for measuring water volume or velocity and a hardware or software interface for interpreting such measures. The hardware or software interface may be physically attached to the probe or may be wirelessly connected for remote viewing, may activate a warning indicator to visually notify a user of the abnormal water flow, and/or may activate a shutoff valve to stop the flow of water through the pipe. Such a design, though, is prone to false positive alerts, as the increased flow of water may be the result of an increased but normal demand for water from the pipe. Such a design also may not actually detect water intrusion as the test relies on a measure of water volume or velocity past the probe, and the leak may be upstream of the probe, resulting in a low or absent measure, or may be slow enough that it does not trigger an abnormal reading on the probe itself.
Another such device for water intrusion detection may comprise a sensor string network for detecting abnormal water volume in various interior spaces. Such a device may comprise a sonar and radar technology for detecting changes in impedance across a sensor cable and visually displaying such changes on a remote panel. By its nature such a design is limited to smaller or enclosed spaces such as tanks, sumps, or other low points where water intrusion may result in pooling of such water, and is generally not efficient to use in large or open areas.
Another such device for water intrusion detection may comprise a humidity sensor for detecting an abnormal increase in water content in an interior space. Such a device may comprise a humidity sensor and an alarm-emitting speaker or other audible notification means. Such a design may accurately detect a water leak, though may not generate an adequate response to such a leak as the user must be within audible range of the alarm to be notified of such leak. The resulting delay in responding to a water leak cause by such a notification system may result in an increase in damage caused by such water leak.
The plurality of devices and systems currently available on the market may further comprise single devices that do not include deployable moisture collection systems to cover an adequate area, and may not comprise a device that provides internal monitoring, relay to a computer system, cellular connectivity, instant notification of alerts, and automated dispatch of a service technician.
Therefore, there exists a need for a system that cures the above deficiencies of prior attempts to detect water intrusion.